FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--W.
L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Gore) today announced at the
VEITHsymposium®,the completion of target
enrollment in the Global Registry for Endovascular Aortic Treatment
(GREAT). More than 5,000 patients have been enrolled into what is now
the largest industry-sponsored global registry of aortic stent-grafts.
Gore undertook the effort in 2010 to evaluate how their family of aortic
devices perform in real-world cases and to continue their commitment to
advancing patient care in the treatment of aortic disease. The global
lead investigators representing each region include Doctors Steven
Dubenec, Pierre Galvagni, Ross Milner, Santi Trimarchi, Eric Verhoeven,
and Fred Weaver.

To ensure the registry is as reflective of real-world use as possible,
Gore opened enrollment in the GREAT study to include patients with all
pathologies of the aorta. This includes patients who received one or
more of the GORE® EXCLUDER® AAA Endoprosthesis, GORE® EXCLUDER® Iliac
Branch Endoprosthesis, or Conformable GORE® TAG® Thoracic
Endoprosthesis. The registry tracks outcomes during treatment and
post-treatment over a 10-year follow-up period. In addition to
procedural and clinical outcomes, data collected includes device(s)
used, disease state treated, patient demographics, and medical history
to measure outcomes in various scenarios. This data will also inform the
continual evolvement of the Gore family of aortic stent-grafts for the
future.

“While clinical trials are very necessary to see if a device is
appropriate and effective, often the results are not reflective of
device use in daily practice,” said Fred Weaver, MD, co-national
investigator. “Through GREAT, we can take a look at a large number of
patients with a broad set of symptoms and treatments to see how a device
performs and make a better determination on proper device use in the
future. This registry is truly real-world data.”

GREAT is part of Gore’s dedication to post-market surveillance and
monitoring long-term device performance in an effort to improve clinical
practice and patient outcomes. A team is dedicated to data analysis
stemming from GREAT and ongoing follow-up. Additionally, the team is
available to provide specific data upon request in an effort to aid
physicians in making more informed treatment decisions for their
patients.

“We have already seen that our stent-grafts result in long-term durable
clinical outcomes,” said Ryan Takeuchi, Gore Aortic Business Leader.
“Our commitment to the treatment of disease states of the entire aorta
will be best informed by these diverse cases over the next decade; we
are confident that this data will ultimately translate into better
outcomes for patients.”

Now in its 43rd year, VEITHsymposium provides vascular surgeons,
interventional radiologists, interventional cardiologists, and other
vascular specialists with a unique and exciting format to learn the most
current information about what is new and important in the treatment of
vascular disease. The 5-day event features rapid-fire presentations from
world renowned vascular specialists with emphasis on the latest
advances, changing concepts in diagnosis and management, pressing
controversies, and new techniques.

ABOUT W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES

At Gore, we have provided creative therapeutic solutions to complex
medical problems for 40 years. During that time, 40 million innovative
Gore Medical Devices have been implanted, saving and improving the
quality of lives worldwide. Our extensive family of products includes
vascular grafts, endovascular and interventional devices, surgical
meshes for hernia and soft tissue reconstruction, staple line
reinforcement materials, and sutures for use in vascular, cardiac, and
general surgery. We are one of a select few companies to appear on all
of the U.S. “100 Best Companies to Work For” lists since the rankings
debuted in 1984.